This time last year, the HGV industry was short of more than 100,000 drivers. That figure has since improved by some margin.
But while the government has helped tackle the acute shortage of drivers with its HGV Skills Bootcamps, more needs to be done by both industry and government to tackle the longer-term systemic issues. These include the chronic shortage of drivers, a lack of diversity, and the time-bomb of an older workforce.
The current shortage
According to trade body Logistics UK, the UK was short of 120,000 HGV drivers in December 2021. By December 2022, that figure had fallen to around 60,000.
The improvement is a result of significant government action, industry increasing wages across the sector and because demand reduced as the economy faltered.
As widely reported, many logistics firms increased driver pay significantly last year. Many drivers, even those newly qualified, can expect to earn £40,000 or more a year. Those with more specialist skills, such as a dangerous goods licence, will probably get closer to £60,000, if not more.
Over the last year to 18 months, the government has also implemented 33 measures to alleviate the driver shortage.
It increased the number of driving tests to help more people get qualified. It helped speed up the processing of HGV licence applications to get through the backlog created by the pandemic. Recently, it invested £52 million in driver roadside facilities and lorry parking.
As significant, the government also invested £32 million to deliver Skills Bootcamps in HGV Driving to get 11,000 more people behind the wheel of an HGV. By the end of May last year, 7,000 had started training, according to a government statement.
Boosting younger drivers
These measures have helped boost the overall number of drivers in the industry. In addition, they are helping to bring underrepresented groups into the industry.
Office of National Statistics figures from December show that the industry has thousands more younger drivers than only a year previously.
What’s more, we know that more younger drivers are making their way into the industry. Some 30% of the applicants to our Driving Academy Scheme were under the age of 36.
While there is still a big way to go, the increase in younger people in the profession is a source of encouragement. It demonstrates that with the right policies, such as the Government-funded Skills Bootcamps, we can get younger drivers in the industry.
Tackling the chronic shortage
But when the industry has suffered from a long-term shortage for nearly a decade, more needs to be done.
We know the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) is often a barrier to driver retention. Many older drivers choose to leave the industry than complete 35 hours of seemingly arbitrary and repetitive training every five years.
We understand that the UK government will launch a public consultation to review the DCPC. As part of this, the government should make DCPC courses uniform and modular and cover areas such as advanced driving skills, health and safety, hazardous loads and more.
Instead of repeating the same courses, there should be incremental levels that can build up skills in a particular area of logistics, allowing drivers to take more responsibility, and ultimately command a higher salary like how other professions move up a “pay scale”.
HGV Skills Bootcamp
Next, the government should extend the funding for its Skills Bootcamps in HGV Driving, reflecting the scheme’s success. While moves are afoot to extend the programme for one year, we believe that a longer-term commitment is crucial to the overall health of the logistics sector.
The influential House of Commons Transport Select Committee has already made this recommendation. Last year, the committee argued: “the government should make the provision of skills bootcamps for HGV drivers permanent, with part of the scheme targeted at underrepresented groups in the current workforce.”
The scheme has helped to attract younger drivers to the industry.
Our data from applicants to the Skills Bootcamps we have run also shows a huge increase in drivers from ethnic minority communities and women.
Moreover, with the cost of living continuing to outpace wages, the training fees to become a driver, at approximately £3,000, is unaffordable for most.
With the Skills Bootcamps, the government has ensured that becoming an HGV driver is accessible to all, regardless of the economic outlook, and that can only be a good thing.
When HGV drivers are so essential to our supply chains, and the wider economy, we need to tackle the chronic shortage once and for all.
